| Built in 1996 as Condor 12, and deployed on Holyman subsidiary Condor's Channel Island routes. For the following summer season, the ship became Holyman Rapide and, along with sister Holyman Diamant introduced a fast-ferry Ramsgate-Oostende service under the Holyman Sally flag, following the demise of RMT. Like the latter, this does not appear to have been able to pay its way and from 1998 the British terminus became Dover, thus reviving the traditional route. The latter move was part of a new joint venture with Hoverspeed, and the pair lost the Holyman prefix to their names. Rapide and Diamant became fully-Hoverspeed ships after the first season, and a reorganisation of the Sea Containers fast ferry fleet in 2001 saw them transferred to the Liverpool-Dublin/Douglas and Newhaven-Dieppe routes instead. For 2002, Rapide served Heysham-Belfast, although a serious engine room fire curtailed her summer season. 2003 and 2004 saw operations on the Belfast-Troon route, but for the 2005 season, she returned to Dover to be reuinted with her sister Diamant on the Calais link, this time with her name amended to SeaCat Rapide. Hoverspeed ceased services in early November 2005 and the SeaCat Rapide remained alongside the Prince of Wales pier at Dover for a period before heading to Tilbury for lay up awaiting further use. In June 2006 she was sold to Balearia, renamed Jaume II and promptly put into service between Algeciras and Ceuta. |
